


Lucid

by DrabbleDragon



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/M, Gen, I'm aiming for a mix of angst and hurt / comfort for this one so let's see how that goes, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Loosely based on The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, Team as Family, The plot happened because of a dream I had - which is ironic considering the setting of this story, The rating might change in the future but just consider this a high T, There can never be enough Warriors content so I am adding this piece to the fandom, Warnings will also be added to each chapter for your convenience, Warriors (Linked Universe)-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 22:14:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28785492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrabbleDragon/pseuds/DrabbleDragon
Summary: It all started when Warriors woke up to the call of seagulls.
Relationships: Legend (Linked Universe)/Marin (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 53





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: swearing, social drinking

Warriors woke up to the call of seagulls, and he really didn’t think much of it. He typically woke up to any bird call since it usually signaled the start of dawn, and as a captain of the Hyrulean army as well as to eight young men, he felt the need to be up and ready at the first sign of day, making the necessary preparations he needed to ensure that he and the others would be able to survive another day. 

After tugging the bedsheets off and giving his back a satisfying crack, he easily rose from the bed and mumbled a quiet ‘good morning’ to the other person sleeping on the opposite end of the room, careful not to wake them in case they happened to be Legend, Sky, or any of the other heroes that valued their sleeping time. He smiled gratefully when a small tropical breeze blew past an opened window and playfully tousled his hair, but then found himself frowning soon after. That’s strange, he didn’t remember switching from Time’s era to Wind’s last night - or renting a room for that matter - but he really couldn’t find the piece of mind to care. It wasn’t very often that they were able to spend the night in a place free from danger, so he might as well enjoy it while he still had the chance. 

Warriors opened the door to where he presumed the bathroom was and grimaced at his reflection in the mirror: aside from his usual bedhead, there seemed to be bags forming under his eyes as well, a clear indication that he’d spent too many sleepless nights strategizing again.

“I need to get more of that eye cream once we’re back in my Hyrule.” He muttered as he ran his fingers across the gray hue.

Once he had finished his self - assessment, he moved to reach for his armor and tunic that sat on a nearby shelf.

… Well, apparently just his tunic, because his chainmail, spaulder, and bracers were all missing. 

His eyes swept across the room a few times before coming up empty - handed, so he instead took to grabbing his tunic and holding it in front of him in hopes that it would somehow provide him with some clue as to where his missing things went. He would normally place his armor right next to the rest of his clothing, but he couldn’t seem to find his remaining gear anywhere in the bathroom. There was also the possibility that he might’ve drank last night and haphazardly threw his things somewhere else as a result of his drunken state of mind, but he didn’t wake up with a hangover, and he didn’t remember going to any taverns last night. So logically, his things have to be here somewhere, unless … 

He clenched the fabric in his hands

 _Unless those assholes decided to hide his things again_.

After quickly throwing on his tunic and brushing his hair to a presentable level, he immediately made his way over to the other bed in the room and gripped onto the end of the bedsheets, ready to give one of the possible culprits one hell of a wake - up call; however, just as he started to do so, he found himself pausing at the mop of light brown hair peeking out from the covers and the light snores coming from beneath. 

Sky wouldn’t hide his things, he reasoned, but he knew that Legend, Four, and Wild would.

And he was _very_ sure that his first guess was correct.

He was out the door and down the hallway without a second thought.

Unlike Four and Wild, Legend didn’t need a reason to torment him; he usually just did those things either because he was bored or just wanted to see Warriors do something other than drawing battle strategies in the dirt for hours, but Hylia help him if Legend was genuinely upset with him before that. He mentally shuddered at the one time Legend dyed his hair green in his sleep just because Warriors forced him to take care of Time’s Cuccos earlier that day. That little shit made him the laughing stock of the group for two _weeks_.

He huffed as he turned a corner. 

He would need to think of a better way to get back at him. Usually the typical ask - Wild - for - his - Goron - spice - and - inconspicuously - dump - the - whole - thing - in - Legend’s - stew - for - the - night trick was enough to have him in tears, but he felt that Legend would be able to predict that since he had done it so many times before; he needed to think of something less obvious. Maybe he should go with hiding his hat again? Or maybe place a spider in his bed?

He pushed the next door open and found himself locking eyes with Time and Wild sitting quietly at a small square dining table.

“Alright, where’d that Rat Bastard hide my armor?” Warriors questioned, not even bothering to hide the annoyance in his tone. He watched as the other two shared a confused look with each other before answering him.

“Your what?” Wild said in between a mouthful of pancakes.

“My _armor_. Y’know, my chainmail, my spaulder, my bracers - where did Legend hide it?” 

Wild and Time shared another look, and it took everything in Warriors’s power not to roll his eyes. Couldn’t they see that the jig was up? He was confident that Legend took his things, so there was no point in acting innocent just to play along.

Time raised his brow and fixed him with a questioning look, “ You brought your armor on a vacation? I know you’re the captain of the army, but that’s a bit excessive.”

Deciding that he had enough of this charade, Warriors just pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “ Just please tell me what room Legend is in.”

“He’s probably still sleeping in his house,” Wild answered, and he took another bite of his breakfast. “ You know how he is about waking up earlier than he has to.”

He stilled. Legend was sleeping in his _own house_? But then that meant they were in Legend’s Hyrule, and the last time Warriors checked, Legend’s Hyrule didn’t have any tropical places - at least none that he knew about. The veteran said himself that his era was nothing but dying grasslands, barren mountains, and receding forests, so to suddenly be informed otherwise was enough to make Warriors question what Hyrule he was in for a moment. 

He stubbornly shook away his thoughts. No, now was not the time to worry about his land’s geography; now was the time to berate him for hiding something so crucial to his being as armor.

After thanking Wild with a sharp nod, he impatiently turned on his heel and headed towards the door, all the while muttering some not - so polite things under his breath. Honestly, first Legend has the _audacity_ to hide his things, and then he decides to let the other heroes sleep in an inn while he sleeps in his own house? What a bastard, choosing to hide from the consequences of his own actions and letting the other heroes take the brunt of it.

The door swung open with another show of Warriors’s frustration, and he shrugged off whatever Time was saying about a party later tonight.

Well, at least he could be grateful for the breathtaking sunrise this morning. The spectacle was eagerly climbing its way past the ocean and into the fading night sky, the entire process framed with leaning palm trees and tropical flowers. After taking in his surroundings and concluding that no, he didn’t remember where this part of Legend’s Hyrule stood in the grand scheme of things, he decided to stop an older lady carrying a basket full of laundry to ask. 

“Excuse me, Miss,” He started, greeting the woman with his most charming smile. “ Do you think you can point me in the direction of Link’s house?” He made sure to use the veteran’s true name in order to avoid confusion as well as keep up this little charade between eras, but he was surprised to see the woman regard him with a perplexed look anyway.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know who you’re talking about. Do you think you can describe them to me? I might be able to help you out, then.”

His smile seemed to lose some of its lackluster, but he kept it up nonetheless. “ Of course: he’s about a head shorter than me, has blond hair with a pink streak dyed in the front, and is often seen wearing a red tunic.” _And he’s a little brat_ , he added in mentally.

The woman’s face lit up with instant recognition and she cheerfully replied, “ Oh, _Legend_! He lives in that house over there.” She motioned towards a small house a little ways from where they stood. Then, with a genuine, heartfelt smile, she eagerly added in, “ Can you believe those two are getting married in a few weeks? They make just the cutest couple!”

Before Warriors had the chance to say anything else, the woman was eagerly bidding him a good day and carrying forward, insisting that she gets her laundry done before noon. He watched her retreating form with furrowed brows.

‘Those two’? ‘Married in a few weeks’? ‘ _Cutest couple_ ’ _?_ Warriors had to admit that he felt a pang of jealousy at that last one, but he quickly disregarded it. What in the world was she going on about? Last time he checked, Legend wasn’t in a relationship with anyone, and even if he was, he most certainly would _not_ want to get married on a tropical island; but perhaps what concerned the captain most of all was that a random person had just referred to the veteran as _Legend_ , not Link as they had all agreed before. Had he missed something last night?

His concerned thoughts suddenly came to a stop when a theory came to mind, and he cracked a sly grin in response. 

That narcissistic bastard: he finally let the fame get to his head, huh? He assumed that after so many months of being called ‘Legend’ and ‘Veteran’ by the other heroes, it was only a matter of time until the nickname finally took its toll on his ego and caused him to only respond to the honorability that came with his heroic title. Honestly, Warriors would _love_ to hear what the rest of the heroes have to say about this; he could already see Wind complaining about the dull meaning behind his nickname, and see Time glaring at the veteran with his signature look of disappointment. 

He followed the woman’s instruction with a little extra pep in his step as he made his way to Legend’s house, mind already reeling with the millions of jokes he can make at the little stunt the veteran pulled. As he reached the stone step that marked the resident hero’s home - one that he had renovated into a humble beach house, apparently - he made a huge effort to school his expression back into annoyance.

 _Right_ _Link_ , Warriors mentally coached himself, _Chide him first_ , _and then crack jokes at his expense later_. With a satisfied nod, he gave a few knocks on the wooden door and readied himself to make his demands.

However, he hesitated when he met eyes with a curious redhead instead of the grouchy veteran he was expecting. At first he thought this person was Malon, but after seeing the light blue dress and red hibiscus in her hair, he was quickly proven wrong; as far as he knew, Time’s wife wasn’t the one to dress up in such a lighthearted, whimsical manner. Regardless of his own confusion, the person seemed to recognise him almost instantly.

“Oh! You must be one of Legend’s friends!” She smiled, and Warriors’s frown only deepened when he still couldn’t place her name. Had he ever met her before? He couldn’t remember. 

The woman eagerly motioned him inside the small house, all the while saying, “ Make yourself at home! I’ll be right back with Legend.”

So he did just that, choosing to settle himself on one of the sofas nearby. He watched the woman disappear from the corner of his eye before busying himself with the décor of what he presumed to be the living room: it was a small room, with the main theme appearing to be - unsurprisingly - about the beach. Large varieties of seashells and tropical flowers decorated the mantle and small tables placed on either side of the sofas, and the crowning jewel of the place seemed to be a large, meticulous sculpture of a whale with small wings placed proudly on the center of the woven coffee table. This place was homey, inviting, and a perfect reflection of this tropical island.

But it wasn’t a reflection of Legend. The man Warriors had grown to know was a messy hoarder that picked up literally everything from the smallest ring to a sword twice his size as long as he deemed it useful in some sense, and the only reason the nine of them were even able to move from room to room in his previous house was because Ravio was able to tackle the mess with a great deal of bravery; however, here was minimal, jovial, and carefree, all of which bore a sharp contrast to who Legend was as a person. 

None of this felt right.

Warriors perked up at the sound of approaching footsteps, and he tried his best to smother down the growing feeling of wrongness in his chest.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Wars,” Legend said as he tiredly rubbed at his eyes before regarding the other with a friendly smile. “ What can I do for you?”

The captain’s mind went completely blank when he saw one of Legend’s hands locked with the redhead’s from before, a silver band wrapped tightly around each of their ring fingers. 

▲

\---▲ ▲---

It was a bachelor’s party Time was reminding Warriors about earlier that morning - a bachelor’s party for Legend. Apparently what that old woman from before had said was true, and that the veteran really _was_ getting married off to that redhead - _Marin_ , he reminded himself - in just a few weeks’ time.

Should he even call Legend a veteran anymore? He didn’t seem to remember any of his adventures, or really anything to do with Ganon. Once Warriors was able to gain some semblance of speech again back at their initial meeting, Legend had responded to almost all of his questions with complete bewilderment:

“ _Eras? Why would we be switching eras?_ ”

“ _My name’s Legend, not Link. It’s always been Legend ever since I was born._ ”

“ _I told you about Marin before, Wars, remember? I told everyone as soon as we got engaged._ ”

“ _What are you talking about? I’ve lived on this island my whole life._ ”

“‘ _Ganon’? ‘Zelda’? ‘Ravio’? Who are those people? What do they have to do with me?_ ”

“ _Changing time and seasons? Facing off against wizards and soldiers? Battling monsters with black blood? What does any of that even mean?_ ”

“ _Warriors, are you feeling okay?_ ”

He laughed bitterly at the last question. Was he feeling okay? Of course he was; he was perfectly fine! The only one who wasn’t fine was obviously Legend who seemed to believe that he’d spent the last 19 odd years living on a peaceful tropical island with his childhood - friend - turned - fiancé with absolutely no troubles in life whatsoever!

“Hey, Wars! Do you have any new stories to tell?”

He tore his gaze away from his champagne glass to fix Wind with a charismatic grin. “ Ah, not any I can think of; I’ve just been training the newest recruits and patrolling the town, same old, same old.” Then in the same breath, he questioned back, ” Say, Wind, how has Aryll been doing? Has her big brother been keeping her out of trouble?”

“You bet!” The youngest perked up, a light of excitement and brotherly fondness dancing in his eyes. “ Just last week, I was showing her how to ...” And the attention had easily shifted from Warriors to Wind, allowing the former to drop his façade and look to each of the seven faces huddled around the table instead.

It looked like Legend wasn’t the only one affected, either. All of the other heroes seemed to be just as convinced that they’ve been living normal lives in one shared era as well: Time and Twilight appeared to be normal ranchers, Wild was a cook in Castle Town, Hyrule was a travelling salesman, Four was a freelance blacksmith, Sky was a student enrolled in some kind of school, Wind was just a kid enjoying life with his grandma and sister, and from what the others had offhandedly told him, it looked like Warriors was still the captain of the Hyrulean army, but was only used for peacekeeping measures.

He drummed his fingers thoughtfully on his glass. 

Peacekeeping measures - but of a different kind, according to them. Apparently his position was just used to keep order throughout their shared version of Hyrule, with violence never escalating beyond the point of petty theft. There were no monsters of any kind to fight, and there was no overarching threat fighting to take over their collective Hyrules, which makes their gathering incredibly pointless. Why would Hylia bring together heroes from different eras with varying experiences if there was no one to even fight against? 

Right, Warriors thought grimly, apparently there was no Hylia here. Any attempt he made to nonchalantly bring up something about the goddesses or Hero’s Spirit or the Triforce ultimately ended up with blank stares and a few nervous chuckles from the others, almost all of their faces expressing the same question: _is he insane_ ? Apparently none of them had even _been_ on any adventures, and they weren’t even bound by the same name anymore, either: Time’s name had always been ‘Time’, Twilight’s name had always been ‘Twilight’, Wild’s name had always been ‘Wild’, so on and so forth for every head at the table plus Legend.

What had happened to the nine of them? What happened to the conjoining of eras, or the numerous adventures and hardships they had experienced before their inevitable meeting? What happened to the magic Hyrule used to have, or the Sheikah Slate Wild carried nearly everywhere, or the variety of weapons they used on the daily? What happened to the armor they used to wear to even seemingly peaceful places? What happened to the stories they used to tell by their makeshift campfire, or the late night talks they used to have whenever one of them woke up after a nightmare? All those key details just seemed to have disappeared over the course of one night, and there didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason as to why it happened.

Warriors blew a harsh breath through gritted teeth.

He couldn’t even begin to comprehend their bizarre circumstances.

“Attention everyone!” 

Another call had the captain looking up again, and his gaze settled on a plump man towards the front of the room waiting for everyone to settle down. 

Once the older man felt that everyone’s eyes were on him, he let a broad smile settle under his mustache before speaking again.“ I just wanted to say a few words about my future son - in - law, Legend.” 

Said man blushed at the onlookers and grinned - an action that, quite frankly, didn’t fit Legend at all, Warriors thought irritatingly.

“Legend, I’ve known you for some 19 years now, and I have to admit, you’ve sure given me some big surprises. Who can forget the time you and Marin came home with a sea turtle and begged me to let you keep it as a pet?” - A few chuckles here. - “ Or the time you two gathered all the village children in order to have a sleepover under the stars?” - A few coos and awes there. - “ Those were both times that had me worried about what the future held for the both of you, but after seeing your friendship bloom into a loving relationship, I knew you two had grown up to be kind, caring adults.” 

He turned to Legend, and the latter stood straight to attention under the sudden pressure. “ You’re a great man, Legend. You’re bold, daring, courageous, -” That last word left a bitter taste in Warriors’s mouth: of course Legend was courageous - the nine of them were all united under the Triforce of _Courage_. “ - and an absolute fit for my beautiful daughter. I couldn’t have picked a better man to be with my dear Marin, and I hope you both live a happy and fulfilling life. A toast to Legend and Marin!”

The room erupted into loud cheers as the men in the room raised their glasses at the call, and Warriors had no option but to do the same albeit reluctantly. He watched his friends drink merrily beside him, but he himself was too hesitant to join in, all too aware of how wrong it felt to be toasting to his friend’s marriage. How many times had Legend explicitly told them that he’d rather live a life on the road than be tied down and cooped up in some home with someone else? Too many times to count, that was for sure. But he couldn’t say anything, not when everyone’s memories and beliefs were so different from his own, so he just simply pressed his lips to the glass and drank, pretending to be just as happy as the rest of them.

▲

\---▲ ▲---

It didn’t take long for the party to wind down, and with all the elderly villagers there, Warriors couldn’t really blame them: with older age came less energy and less enthusiasm to celebrate late into the night, so the host of the party was fine with letting them all leave once the clock struck midnight. While the other heroes - people? - were a bit disappointed to let the celebration end so early, Warriors, on the other hand, was thanking Hylia and all she stood for: he wanted to weasel his way out of that party as soon as he stepped through that door.

He pulled his scarf over his hair and ducked his head low once he saw Marin's father - Tarin - and Legend eagerly wishing their guests a goodnight at the door, and he was fully intent on avoiding both their gazes as he made his way out.

It was so unsettling to see Legend so cheerful and polite like this. The Legend Warriors knew was just a glorified hermit that would rather die than have a civil conversation with anyone for ten minutes, so to see him acting so differently in a room filled with dozens of elderly people that expected to be treated with respect made his jaw stiffen. This wasn’t Legend - this _couldn’t_ be Legend - but Warriors had no solid proof to show anyone that that was true.

He made his way to the inn without protest, and nodded a silent goodnight to anyone that he passed in favor of getting to his and Sky’s shared room as quickly as possible. He really couldn’t stand to hold a conversation with anyone right now, not with his friends acting so differently all of a sudden.

The door creaked quietly as Warriors pushed it open, and he couldn’t help the amused grin that quirked at his lips when he saw Sky already fast asleep in his own bed, hands clenched tightly onto this sailcloth as his soft snores punctuated the air. At least there was one thing that hadn’t changed among the nine of them.

He tugged off his tunic and folded it neatly onto the bathroom shelf before peeling back the covers of his own bed and tucking himself in. He would deal with this problem tomorrow, he decided, there was no use in thinking about a solution to this if all he could focus on were the negatives.

So with the help of Sky’s familiar snores, Warriors found himself drifting off in this strange, new world.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise for such a lengthy wait for the next chapter, but after climbing a ridiculous writer's block and doing a few revisions, I am happy to say that chapter two is done, and jeeze, is it a big one.
> 
> Shoutout to you wonderful folks that left comments (seriously, waking up to those comments in the morning was like the best motivation ever), and a big thank you to those who have bookmarked the story, as well as left kudos, and just generally read the story. All of you are wonderful human beings, and I wish you the best.
> 
> Warnings: swearing

Warriors woke up to the call of seagulls, and grimaced when he felt a slight tropical breeze drift through the room.

Right: tropical island, everyone losing their memories, no Hylia, no heroes from different eras.

The nine of them were supposedly just regular people.

Not wanting to dwell on that lie any longer, he eagerly got out of bed, wished a sleeping Sky a quick ‘good morning’, and made his way to the bathroom.

It wasn’t like he was expecting his chainmail, spaulder, and bracers to just magically appear the next day, but the empty space that laid next to his folded tunic still made a pang of disappointment echo throughout his chest. As pathetic as it sounded, he missed his armor: it marked his status as a captain for both the Hyrulean Army and to nine men, and without them, he just felt like another Hylian milling about his day.

He shook his head. Wishing for his armor wasn’t going to bring it back, so he might as well focus on more attainable things.

He looked over his reflection in the mirror: same tousled bedhead as always, and it looked like the bags under his eyes had darkened as well - most likely because of the sudden added stress, he surmised. He would tell himself that he’ll just get more of that eye cream once they stop by his Hyrule again, but considering that the other eight believed that they’ve lived in one cohesive Hyrule for all their lives, he didn’t think that opportunity would arise anytime soon. They could be stuck here for the rest of their collective lives for all he knew. 

Honestly, how did this even happen? He understood a thing or two about leaping through time and space and the consequences that followed, but he never heard of severe memory loss being one of them. 

He began to rummage through the bathroom cabinet for some soap and shampoo. 

And then there was also the question of manipulated backstories - Legend’s, especially: everyone but himself seemed to forget about their past lives as heroes, which was a monumental feat considering how some of them used to spend nearly every waking moment of their lives regretting their decisions in the past. And of course Legend’s change was a complete wildcard: not only did he forget about the dozens of adventures he had been on like the others, but he was practically unrecognisable personality - wise. No longer was he the grouchy and snarky veteran they all came to know and love, but an unsettling opposite that appeared way more friendly and carefree than what felt natural. What exactly caused such a drastic change to their beloved veteran was a complete mystery to him. 

A brush of fingers against a small plastic container made him pause for a moment, and when he reached back to retrieve the familiar item, he almost couldn’t believe his eyes.

This was the eye cream he used, he thought in disbelief; literally the same exact one he would use back in his Hyrule, branding and all. It was a commodity that only seemed to be exclusive to  _ his  _ era, so what was it doing here in Legend’s? 

He turned the thing over and over in his hands, and had reread the label - written in  _ his Hylian  _ \- at least a dozen times, before ultimately settling it on the bathroom counter. How did something so insignificant as an eye cream be able to traverse through eras and end up in one so far - removed from its own timeline? There didn’t seem to be anything special about it in particular, as far as he could tell, so why did this, out of everything else in the universe, end up in an unsuspecting cabinet here?

Maybe he was just thinking too far into this. Between everything that’s happened in the past day and half, a simple eye cream suddenly appearing should be the  _ least  _ of his problems; what mattered now was trying to jog the other heroes’ memories and trying to find an explanation to their bizarre circumstances. 

So he left the cream abandoned on the counter, not thinking twice about his decision.

▲

\---▲ ▲---

He wasn’t surprised to see Wild already cooking in the inn’s kitchen this early in the morning, and his presence seemed to soothe him in a way: Wild was typically the second one up as soon as the sun rose in their makeshift camp, so to have him here, stirring a boiling pot with a wooden spoon, was enough to ease the tension in his shoulders by just a bit.

Wild cooking early in the morning: another habit that hadn’t changed between the nine of them.

He easily slid himself into one of the square dining tables nearby and watched the other with mundane curiosity. 

The group’s cook hadn’t seemed to change by much: he still wore his blue tunic and black cloak, he still wore his long hair in a loose ponytail, and he still bore the ragged scars that told of a heroic battle almost a hundred years ago - one that he didn’t remember now, that is. Wild never seemed to get along well with his past, anyways: it was always regret and shame whenever the other eight of them prodded him to share details about his adventures, and no matter how much they tried to convince him that he was still a hero despite his shortcomings, he would simply just give a sad shake of his head and tell them otherwise. The poor kid, Warriors thought.

Wild dropped a handful of chopped mushrooms into another pan and swirled the skillet with ease. 

He really was just a kid - a 117 year - old kid, but a kid nonetheless. He had lost nearly his entire childhood as soon as he had picked up a sword at three and proved that he could wield it better than a well - trained soldier, and his whole livelihood just seemed to go downhill from there. As soon as he had been deemed his era’s Champion, Wild had lost his close connection to his family in order to serve the Royal Family, had spent almost every waking hour training or guarding the princess who didn’t even seem to like him in the first place, and when pitted against an unbeatable foe, had been the one who was blamed for the utter destruction of his Hyrule. It was completely unfair, in Warriors’s not - so - humble opinion, and if he had been there on that fateful day alongside Wild, he most certainly would have done everything in his power to shift the blame onto himself. Wild didn’t deserve such a cruel fate like the one he suffered through, and Warriors was more than willing to sacrifice himself if it meant that one of his men could live a semi - peaceful life. 

He bit his lip. Maybe this sudden memory loss wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

No, what was he saying? Living in blissful ignorance wasn’t going to help them bring their memories back, and it most certainly wouldn’t help them free themselves from this situation and go back to hunting down the overarching threat.

He startled when a plate consisting of an omelet and rice had been placed in front of him, and he looked up to see Wild hovering over him with an air of timid nonchalance.

“You looked hungry, so I made you a little something.” He shrugged before taking the seat opposite of Warriors’s with a plate of his own. 

With a grateful smile, the captain dug into his food without hesitance, and savoured the flavor of fluffy eggs and rice on his tongue. This had to be the first omelet he’s had in literal  _ months _ ; back when they were travelling, Twilight would  _ never _ let them eat anything besides fish and plants unless absolutely necessary, so to be able to eat something so luxurious as an omelet without having to barter with the Ordonian had to be the emotional equivalent of hearing that he’d just won the lottery.

The absolute bliss must have been showing on his face because he heard the other chuckle quietly, “ Wow, the omelet’s that good? I wasn’t able to get the mushrooms and peppers you usually liked in it, but it looks like it tastes just as good.”

The captain lowered his fork with a frown. 

“How’d you know I like mushrooms and peppers in my omelet?” He questioned. He didn’t recall ever telling Wild his omelet preferences throughout their whole time together - much less him ever making omelets - so how would he know that kind of information? 

But the other just tilted his head and replied, “ Uhhhh because you always do? It’s literally the two things you tell me to add whenever you stop by my food stall in the morning.”

There was a beat of silence before the captain's face lit up with fake realisation.

“Ah, of course! How could I forget? You must’ve memorized all my meals by now with the amount of times I’ve stopped by.” Warriors said, and he watched his friend’s features melt into a relieved smile. That was right: different memories, different things Wild would know, he reminded himself. Speaking of … 

“Wild, does anything seem different to you?”

A pinch of eyebrows indicated the return of the other’s apprehension, and the cook slowly responded, “ … With the omelet?”

“No, no, the omelet is perfect! I was talking more about … ” Warriors struggled with his words. How could he put this? “ … about the way the people are acting here - like Legend, for example.”

He watched as the gears turned in the other’s head with impatient persistence, and his jaw stiffened when Wild ultimately shook his head.

“Not really. I mean, Legend’s probably super happy about getting married and stuff like that, but I don’t think it’s a really big change from how he usually acts. And then Time and everyone else seems to be acting pretty normal, too, so everyone looks fine to me.”

“ _ Really _ ?” Warriors rested his arm on the table and leaned a bit closer. “Nothing? Absolutely nothing?”

“Not that I can think of, no.”

“There’s absolutely nothing wrong with how the veter - _Legend_ , is acting?”

“No, he seems perfectly fine.”

“Or the stories everyone was telling last night at the party?”

“No?”

“Or the fact that we were all agreeing to travel to each other's houses during the summer simply by foot or by horse without any regards to our location or time?”

“W - What? What does that have to … ” And then Warriors was suddenly aware of how close he was to Wild’s personal space, and how far the cook had shrunk back into the comfort of his cloak. 

He chided himself: it looks like he had got a bit too caught up in his personal investigation.

With a resigned sigh, he lowered himself back into his seat and apologised. “ I’m sorry, it looks like I forgot my manners there for a second.” Then in a pathetic attempt to remedy the tense atmosphere, he tried a smile and said, “ Thank you for the meal; it was delicious.”

He tried his best to ignore the cook’s bewildered gaze as he got up to rinse his dish, but the knowledge still stood ever - present in his mind. To know that Wild was looking back at him like a spooked animal was enough to make his heart wilt with remorse, and he doubted any attempt to make the atmosphere lighthearted again would do him any good.

The captain pushed past the door to the outside, hoping that his next attempt to gather some information wouldn’t go as poorly.

▲

\---▲ ▲---

“Does anything strike you as out of the ordinary, Four?” 

Said person looked up from the stack of papers he was reading and regarded the captain with a raised brow. “ Uh, like what?”

“Just … anything, really.” He shrugged.  _ Be subtle, Link, don’t try to lunge for anything in particular _ . “ The island, the way we got here, the way someone was acting - just anything that makes you stop and think.”

He was hoping that the offering of options would induce some sort of inspiration, and he felt his hopes soar when the blacksmith said, “ Yeah, I guess the ride here was a little weird.”

“Really? In what way?”

“I think it took a little bit longer to get from Castle Town to here, but not by much. Maybe like an extra ten minutes? I dunno.” He ended his sentence with a shrug before turning back to his work.

Warriors deflated a bit at the answer. Not really anything that could help him, but he supposed it was something.

A sudden idea came to mind, and he eagerly leaned forward as he asked, “ Can you tell me about how we got here?” And then tried to casually add in, “ It seems like my memories are a bit foggy from all the work I’ve been doing, so a little reminder of our trip would be nice.”

“Sure. ” Four took the pencil next to him and circled something on one of the pages before starting his recount. “ We left Castle Town for the port in New Kasuto about five days ago, met up with Wild, Time, and Twilight in a nearby inn, and then headed for the ferry together. We sailed for two days until we reached Koholint, and I guess Wind and Sky beat us there because as soon as we saw land, Legend and the two of them were there to wave us in. And then we got our rooms, had dinner together, hung out for a couple of days, had Legend’s bachelor’s party, annnnnnnd now we’re here.”

Warriors nodded his thanks before mulling over the story.

Well, where to start? First off, he supposed the mention of Castle Town and Kasuto were deeply concerning: the last time he checked, those two towns resided in completely different eras, with the latter only appearing in Hyrule’s land, so to hear that Castle Town and Kasuto were both in travelling distance made his mind reel with questions. He had established that they were in Legend’s era before, correct? Then what was a town exclusive to Hyrule’s era doing here? He supposed the notion wasn’t too far - fetched considering that the two former heroes seemed to share a common timeline, but even then, Legend and Hyrule shared a good 10,000 years between them, so the likelihood of a town surviving for that long was highly unlikely.

And the ferry, too. When the nine of them were travelling together, they had seen and heard from both Legend and Hyrule that their kingdoms were in a rapidly growing state of decline, and that the two lands were starting to revert back to primitive technology in favor of the progression of magic. Machinery was nearly nonexistent in their eras, so to have something as luxurious as a ferry carry them from one shore to another was just another bizarre factor to incorporate into their strange circumstance. 

Four’s retelling seemed to raise more questions than it did answers.

“And you’re absolutely  _ sure _ that this all happened?” Warriors pressed, hoping that the other had accidentally made a mistake somewhere in the story.

He tightened his fists when Four casually turned to another page as he said, “ Yup.”

“To the point where you could recall every single second?”

“To the point.” Another page flip and another circle.

“And there are no lapses in your memory?”

“Nope, we remember every second of it.” Another shuffle of papers.

Warriors opened his mouth only to shut it soon after.

“‘We’?” He echoed.

The room was engulfed in a sudden silence as soon as the word left Warriors’s mouth, and he could acutely see the immediate tension rise in Four’s shoulders.

“Huh? ‘We’? I’m pretty sure I said ‘I’. Jeeze, Wars, I think you’re starting to lose it from all the training you’ve been doing.” Four answered back with innocent confusion, but even with a well - practiced mask, Warriors was still able to detect a hint of concern in his features, with the sudden strain in his voice making him more convinced that the other was hiding something from him. 

Before the captain had the chance to prod any further, the other hastily slammed his papers down onto the desk and forced a look of mock realisation. “ Oh wait, I just remembered that I was supposed to meet up with one of Legend’s buddies today! Well, I can’t keep ‘em waiting any longer! See ya later, Wars!”

And with that said, Four strided out the room and hurried towards the door, leaving a confused and suspicious Warriors in his wake.

▲

\---▲ ▲---

“Have I noticed anything out of the ordinary here? No.” Time replied flatly as he tilled the soil with his shovel.

Warriors paused for a moment before asking Twilight the same thing.

“Not really, unless you’re talking about the weather; then I guess it’s a lot hotter out here than it was yesterday.” The Ordonian answered from a little farther back, and he grinned when Time made a playful jab at his work ethic.

Despite the lighthearted atmosphere, the captain couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Couldn’t those two see that he was in the middle of an investigation? He really didn’t have time to sit around and joke when their collective futures were on the line. 

He let his head thunk lightly against the wooden panels of the small farmhouse he was leaning against. According to Time, the farm the two ranchers were currently working at belonged to an elderly couple that had grown too old to tend to the fields themselves, so Warriors could only imagine the absolute joy that shone on their faces when two strong men offered to take care of it for them free of charge. They had been tending to this land ever since the eight of them arrived on this island, and as endearing and thoughtful as the offer was, it really wasn’t what they should be doing; what they  _ should  _ be doing is saving innocent civilians and looking for leads on the black - blooded monsters that plagued their Hyrules like parasites.

“We need to get back on the road, Old Man.” He muttered absentmindedly, but apparently his words were enough to cause some kind of controversy.

There was an abrupt change in demeanor from the two ranchers: their easygoing chatter had quickly devolved to Twilight becoming frozen in place and Time taking on an unreadable expression as the two stood in their respective trenches. The abrupt change was slightly unsettling, in Warriors’s opinion, and he was about to get up and wave his hand in front of both of their faces until Time slowly rose to his full height and allowed a sly smirk to spread across his features. 

“So it looks like you’ve taken on the nickname that the others have been using with me, huh? I didn’t think that you’d be the one to catch on.”

The captain quirked a brow. “ Why not?” 

“Well, usually only my nephews and cousins call me that.”

Warriors froze. Wait, what?!

“‘Nephews and cousins’?” He repeated incredulously, and somehow the concept of Time and family sounded so foreign to him. “ You know of the people in your family  _ besides  _ Malon and her father?” 

“‘Course I do: Twilight here is my nephew,'' He motioned behind him to where Twilight was giving a polite little wave. “ And then Wind and Wild are my cousins.”

He was left speechless, looking from Twilight to Time and repeating the process over and over again. They were uncle and nephew, with Wild and Wind as cousins to boot _?  _ But that’s not what Time had told him before: before, he said that he grew up in a secluded forest with other children, none of which he shared blood with; couple that with the jarring fact that him, Twilight, Wild, and Wind were all  _ thousands  _ of years apart on their respective timelines, and that just made the situation all the more confusing. How in the world could they be so closely related?! 

What he eventually managed to say in the end was, “ You’re shitting me.”

“Language.”

“ _ You’re  _ related to Twilight, Wild, and Wind, all through a close, blood - related ancestor?”

“Yes.” He replied tediously, and Warriors could just make out the slightest of twitches on the right side of the other’s face.

“But how could that be?” He questioned harshly, and he felt irritation start to bubble in his chest. “ The four of you are so far apart on your respective timelines that it wouldn’t even make  _ sense _ to assume such a thing.” 

The Ordonian echoed out a confused ‘’timelines?’’ before Time responded back for the both of them, albeit a bit annoyed.

“I don’t know what this ‘timeline’ nonsense is about, but I  _ do  _ know that me and the other three are related by blood, and I find it rude for you to think otherwise.”

Warriors scoffed at that. “Oh, you know? Then pray tell,  _ Time _ : who is the relative that marks the four of you as close family?”

That question made Time falter for a moment, and suddenly his face was blank again. 

The three of them were thrown back into an unnerving silence - one that seemed to tick by excruciatingly slow this time around. Both Warriors and Twilight stood by as they watched Time with varying degrees of worry, and just as the latter was about to step forward to tap Time on the shoulder, Time quickly snapped out of his reverie with a sharp shake of his head and took to rubbing at his markings with a rough hand.

“I can’t remember right now, but that doesn’t matter.” He finally answered back with subdued irritation, but he quickly regained his fire when he said, “ Look, we’re wasting daylight by just sitting here and chatting, so if you’re not going to help, then I suggest you go bother someone else.” 

Time turning back to his work marked the end of their conversation, and with Twilight being quick to follow almost obediently, there was practically no room for Warriors to argue otherwise.

▲

\---▲ ▲---

“Nope! Everything looks fine to me!” Wind chirped as soon as Warriors had asked him the same question, and the captain crossed his arms a little bit tighter against his chest.

Wind’s answer marked the fifth time his suspicions had been shrugged off.

“No one in particular stands out to you? Four? Time?  _ Legend _ ?” He pressed, and the strain in his voice hadn’t gone unnoticed to himself. The lack of concern for their missing memories was starting to make him desperate. 

But again, the other answered back with a noncommittal shrug. “I don’t think so. I mean, I guess Time was acting a little tipsy last night, but that’s because he barely drinks actual alcohol - it’s always milk, for some reason.”

Warriors gritted his teeth. Just like when they were travelling before: never alcohol, always milk - another crucial habit that hadn’t changed among the nine of them, and that only seemed to add to the mystery. Why did some things stay the same while others didn’t?

“May I ask how you and Time are related?” He asked sharply.

“Sure: we’re cousins; at least, that’s what my grandma told me.” Wind stated as he reeled in his fishing rod from the ocean. He scowled as he noticed that his bait had been taken off the hook with no prized fish to show.

“Has she stated from which side of the family?”

“Uhhhh, maybe? I think she said on my mom’s side, but I don’t know for sure.” He placed another piece of fish bait on the hook and let the line fly, casting the rod far enough for it to land in a small wave.

Warriors tapped his fingers impatiently on his forearm. Another fact that bore no concrete evidence; it was just a simple fact the four of them knew - like how the sky was blue or that grass was green - and because it was some common knowledge that they all ‘knew’, not one of them had bothered to stop and question their relationship to the other three. 

He frowned. There has to be some other force at play here - something that’s forcing them to believe in things that they knew were undeniably false. 

He must’ve been quiet for too long because as soon as he tuned back into reality, he could hear Wind casually whistling a tune beside him.

_ A very familiar tune _ .

“That’s Wind’s Requiem.” He claimed in near - disbelief, and watched as Wind regarded him with a quirked brow. 

“Oh, is that the name of the song? I thought it was just something I made up.”

“No, no, it’s one of the songs you’ve learned throughout your travels across the Great Sea of your era: one that has the ability to change the direction of the wind with the Wind Waker as its guide. Don’t you remember conducting that tune?”

The other’s face scrunched up with genuine confusion. “ Ummm, not really. I don’t even know what a Wind Waker is.”

Warriors felt his heart drop. Based on the other conversations he had earlier this day, he knew where this one was going, and it hurt him to know that even Wind was forced to forget about one of his most cherished possessions.

“It’s a baton you use to call upon the powers of the gods,” He said maybe a bit too quickly. “ It has the power to change the path of the winds, and open temples, and warp through cyclones - all useful abilities that have saved us a countless number of times!”

But still, no light of recognition would flicker in the other’s eyes; in fact, his expression seemed to have shifted from confusion to nervousness. “ That just … sounds like magic …”

“That’s because it  _ is  _ magic. It’s a very powerful magic that got passed down from the king of your Hyrule to you due to the belief that you needed it in order to defeat Ganon.” He urged, and he ignored the little voice in the back of his head telling him that he really wasn’t making any sense right now. “ You’ve admitted that it’s not as powerful as Hyrule’s magic, and that it can’t cover every situation like Legend’s magic items can, but the Wind Waker is something you hold near and dear to your heart regardless. It’s a type of magic that is exclusive to you, and one you take heavy pride in.”

“But ... magic doesn’t exist, Wars.”

He froze at those words, and his train of thought seemed to have been completely derailed.

“Of course it does.” He responded breathlessly. “ It’s existed for millennia - in times long before yours and mine.”

Wind furrowed his brows and gave a shrug. “ Yeah, like in fairy - tales, sure, but it doesn’t actually exist in real life; it’s just stuff you read about in little kids’ books.”

Warriors felt his world come crashing down. Magic … didn’t exist? What supernatural power caused him to believe that magic  _ didn’t exist _ ? It was so abundant in nature, and was the main driving force behind so many of their weapons and abilities, that one would have a better time trying to convince everyone that the moon was going to fall out of the sky rather than try to disprove the existence of magic. But here Wind thought the unthinkable, truly believing that magic was nothing more than a fairy - tale taught to little children.

“I’ll - I’ll bring Hyrule here.” He eventually stuttered out, too rattled to keep his steady composure anymore. “ I’ll convince him to cast a Fire or Thunder spell or something - he’ll prove to you that magic exists.” 

He had turned on his heel before Wind even had the chance to respond.

▲

\---▲ ▲---

“Magic doesn’t exist.” Hyrule stated matter - of - factly, and despite his calm and gentle demeanor, the words still seemed to shake Warriors to his very core. 

To hear Hyrule say that magic wasn’t didn’t exist was the equivalent of a sharp slap to the face.

“Then how would you explain the driving force between our magical items?” He quickly retorted, barely able to keep himself still as he watched Hyrule casually pluck a conch shell off the sand. “ Our magic rods, our power gloves - how do you explain the science behind those?”

Hyrule frowned as he looked over the shell in his hands. “ Sorry, but I don’t know what those things are.”

“Alright, well what about the potions they sell in nearly every shop across our Hyrules? All of those, regardless of color or taste, all bear magical properties that were inherited from the ingredients that were used to make them.”

“Potions?” He raised a curious brow at that. “ Like the ones little kids make out of mud and leaves? I hate to break it to you, Wars, but those things aren’t really magical.”

Warriors felt a low growl rise in the back of his throat at the offhanded mockery. “ Fine. _Fairies_ , then. You said you’re a travelling salesman, right? Then _surely_ you must’ve seen a Great Fairy Fountain or two, or at the very least encountered a regular fairy during your travels.”

“How am I going to find a fairy if they’re not even real?”

He resisted the urge to bang his head against the nearest palm tree. How could  _ Hyrule _ , of all people, believe that magic  _ didn’t exist _ ? It was literally an ability he held readily at his fingertips - something that allowed a humble traveller like him to have a sense of pride whenever it came to healing the others or casting a devastating attack on a hoard of enemies - so how could he just disprove its existence so easily like that?

The questions only piled further on from there, with Warriors claiming the existence of every magical entity and item he could think of until he eventually got to Hylia herself; but over and over again, each claim was easily disproved with a baseless confidence from the other, and the continuous cycle was starting to weigh on his nerves and shorten his patience. 

Then, at his wit’s end, he blurted out in a fit of exasperation, “ Hyrule, you can’t just forget about something you’ve had your entire _ life _ .”

He blinked disbelievingly when those words seemed to give pause to Hyrule, unintentionally striking a chord.

“I - I’ve never had magic in my life.” He eventually stuttered out, but it was too late: Warriors heard the hesitation in his voice, and like a true soldier of war, he took advantage of that weak point to levy the situation in his favor. 

“Yes, you have, and you know you have it, too. All this time, you’ve been disproving the existence of magic as a whole, but when it came to  _ you  _ bearing magic, that was where you faltered.” He stood back and crossed his arms expectantly. “ You’re hiding something.” 

“I’m not hiding anything.” Hyrule insisted, but the conflicting light in his eyes and the tightened grip on his shell told Warriors otherwise.

“Yes, you are - I know you are.” Warriors pressed, and when he took a step forward, the other matched him with a hesitant step back. “ Tell me what you’re hiding.”

“I told you that I’m not hiding anything.” His voice was stronger this time around, and he stood up a bit taller to make himself appear more confident, but his iron grip still remained on that shell.

Another sharp step forward and Warriors felt his nails dig into his palms. “ Do you think I’m an idiot? I can  _ clearly see _ that you’re hiding something, so why can’t you just give up and tell me?”

“Because I’m not hiding anything.”

“Hyrule, seriously, just tell me!”

“No, it doesn’t matter! Why do you care, anyways?”

“Because this is the one time I’ve been given just a sliver of information when compared to the other abysmal conversations I’ve had today, and Hylia - be - damned if I’m just going to let this opportunity slip away! Now for the love of the goddesses, just tell me what you’re hiding!”

To his complete and utter frustration, Hyrule, instead of revealing whatever was on his mind, regarded him with a look of curious caution as he asked, “ Information about what?”

“About this collective memory loss! About the sudden changes in childhoods and backstories and relations and occupations, and the lack of magic and the goddesses and Hylia and anything pertaining to them! You  _ know  _ something about it - about any of this - and I just don’t understand why you can’t tell me!”

Silence reigned heavily for a moment or two before Hyrule piped up with a quiet, “ You still think magic exists?”

And that was it; Warriors couldn’t take this pointless conversation anymore.

“Ugh, just forget it!” He shouted back, turning away from the other before the conversation could go any further. “Just go back to collecting your stupid seashells!” 

He didn’t pay any mind to Hyrule’s pleas to stay.

▲

\---▲ ▲---

Warriors found himself at Legend’s doorstep by the time the sun had set, and he frowned longingly at the stars twinkling above him. The nine of them used to look at the constellations whenever they had been shifted to places high in the mountains, with the Hebra Mountains being their most common destination, and after they had settled into a nearby cave and Wild had cooked them a warm dinner of Veggie Cream Soup, Wind was usually the one to urge the rest of them to come look at the thousands of stars decorating the night sky like specks of bright whites on an inky canvas. Sure, he was mostly freezing his ass off during that hour of the night and would be close to pushing Legend off the nearest cliff if he made one more snide remark about him not being able to withstand a little bit of cold, but he would gladly endure it all if it meant that Wind could climb up onto Time’s shoulders to excitedly point out each constellation to the eight of them, or if Hyrule could stop and stare with childlike wonder to a night sky that wasn’t polluted with the angry reds of a dying kingdom, or if Sky could just simply close his eyes and stand there with a peaceful smile as he was reminded of the cool chill that pressed against his face whenever he went soaring on his Loftwing through clear skies. It was those small joys that fueled them with the fire to keep fighting despite how many times they had been knocked down by ruthless enemies, and it was also those small joys that had brought them closer to being a warm and loving family despite their unconventional meeting, learning to accept each other’s shortcomings and giving each of them the love and comfort they all desperately needed.

Now he wasn’t even sure if those small joys even mattered to them anymore.

He gave the door in front of him a few light knocks before stepping back politely, and felt a small relieved breath push past his lips when he was met with a disgustingly - familiar green tunic instead of a flowing blue dress. 

“Wars!” Legend greeted with a broad smile, and Warriors tried to match it with one that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “ I’m so glad to see that you’ve stopped by! Come in, come in!”

He was ushered inside with an enthusiasm that didn’t match the former veteran at all, and he tried his best to pretend that nothing was wrong when there clearly was.

“Where’s your fiancé?” Warriors questioned when he saw the two empty couches in the living room.

“Marin? She went down to the shop to pick up a couple of things, but she should be back soon.” Then with a curious look, he asked, “ Why? Do you wanna talk to her?”

“No, not quite; I was actually more interested in talking to you.”

The other’s eyes lit up with joy as he gave an enthusiastic nod. “ Oh yeah, definitely! Here, I’ll get us some drinks. Do you want coffee or tea? Or maybe just a glass of water?”

“Water’s fine.” Warriors answered back with a small smile, but he mentally frowned at the offer: Legend would never offer hospitality like that, especially to him of all people. He watched quietly as the other disappeared around the corner, leaving him to settle on the couch with his own thoughts.

His eyes wandered aimlessly around the small room: the decorative seashells and flowers were still here, and the intricate statue of a whale with wings still stood proudly on the woven coffee table in front of him just like yesterday. Nothing’s changed here, and yet Warriors still felt like he had walked into unfamiliar territory.

Why was he the only one bothered with this sudden change in environment, he wondered, his eyes beginning to dutifully trace over the meticulous details of the statue. He was more than sure that at least one of them would have noticed their strange circumstances by now, but so far, his own personal investigation had been fruitless. Wild, Twilight, and Wind seemed to be just fine going about their day without questioning their surroundings, and despite Four’s, Time’s, and Hyrule’s strange behaviors, they all seemed to agree with the other three as well. He knew Legend was perfectly content with the matter considering that he was getting married off to a woman Warriors had never even heard of, and judging by the dismal pattern he was following, he was sure Sky wouldn’t have any qualms about the situation either.

He began to tap his fingers anxiously on his knee.

How could he be the only anomaly here? It’s not like he particularly stood out from any of the others, but his recollection of memories and his growing concern seemed to say otherwise. There wasn’t anything particularly special about him: he had lived a regular life like the others had before they discovered that they were heroes chosen by the Goddess, he had went through the same trials and tribulations associated with his adventure just like the rest of them, he worked alongside the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom in order to seal some overarching threat just as the others had, and he now bore one of the three fragments of the Triforce that stated his status as a force to be reckoned with just like the other eight of them did.

He was just another copy of the original Chosen Hero, practically the same as the rest of them when it came down to power and spirit, with only his personality and fighting style distinguishing him from the others, so why was it him? He wasn’t some supernatural entity, nor was he some sort of god that could change life as he knew it with just a flick of his wrist, nor was he someone that just had a strong connection to Hylia or any of the other gods in particular; he was just a typical Hylian that just happened to be reincarnated with the Hero’s Spirit just like the thousands of others who had been born before him. 

He couldn’t just sit here politely with Legend and wade through another meaningless conversation with him; he needed answers, and he needed them now. 

“Legend, we need to talk.” Warriors called as he stood up abruptly, walking his way past a corner and spotting the other pouring a pitcher of water into two glasses.

Legend looked up from his task and threw a curious look over his shoulder as he asked, “ About what?”

“About you.” He found himself leaning against the counter and crossing his arms tightly against his chest as he came face - to - face with the other. “ You’ve changed, Legend.”

Just as imagined, Legend knitted his brows and frowned. “ I have?”

A firm nod. “ Believe it or not, your whole personality changed over the course of a few days, and I don’t believe I have to tell you how concerning that is.”

“I mean, I guess I’ve been super happy over the past few days because, y’know, I’m getting married and all, but I really don’t think that’s something you should be worried about.” He tried to break the tension with a nervous chuckle, but he quickly sobered up when he noticed that the laughter wasn’t mutual.

“No, you’ve really changed; as in, you’ve gone from being a snarky and sarcastic hero who was a veteran in the art of fighting and survival to a sweet and loving fiancé to a woman you’ve just met.”

Legend’s smile faltered. “ I’m sorry, I’m not really following …” 

Warriors pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes to try to control his growing frustration. “ Alright, look: how long have you known Marin for?”

“19 years.”

_ Fine _ ,  _ whatever _ , Warriors thought agitatedly. Maybe Legend just had a secret girlfriend and decided not to tell anyone; that was fine: all of them have their own secrets.

“And how long have you been engaged?”

“Just over a couple of months.”

“And when did you decide to permanently live on this island?”

“I’ve always lived here.”

“ _ What _ ?  _ No you haven’t _ !” He nearly shouted, but a steadying breath allowed him to ease back into a steely façade. “ You’ve told us -  _ shown us  _ \- that you live in a small cottage in a secluded forest just north of your Hyrule, with Ravio as both your personal merchant and your roommate. You took us all there when we landed in the Death Mountain of your era since your house was closer to us than Hyrule Castle was, and that was when you yelled at us for touching your things and where we also met Ravio for the first time. Doesn’t any of that sound familiar to you?”

He looked on with increasing impatience as Legend frowned in thought before he answered back. “ Sorry, but I still don’t know anyone named Ravio, and I’ve never actually been to Hyrule, so I don’t think there’s any point in me buying a house there. As for anything about Death Mountain and Hyrule Castle, I guess I can tell you that I’ve read about those places from the books in the library here, but I don’t think there’s much else I can really say about them.” 

“ _ Yes you can _ .” Warriors pressed, and he felt a bit of irritation rise in his throat once he recognised the same conversational pattern him and Hyrule had had just a few hours ago. “ You’ve been to Death Mountain  _ hundreds  _ of times before, and Hyrule Castle even more so. Goddesses, you were practically  _ raised  _ in that castle for most of your life, and despite living in a secluded house with your uncle until the day he died, you could probably map out the entire place in a matter of minutes.”

Legend stared at him for a moment before slowly shaking his head. “ I don’t have an uncle …”

“Are you kidding me? You’ve praised that man more than you’ve ever praised  _ yourself _ , and that’s really saying something considering that you’re the most self - righteous out of the nine of us. He was the only person you would ever talk about whenever the topic of role models came up, and whenever any of us would call him anything less than a hero, you would threaten to beat us into the ground until we said otherwise. He meant the world to you, and you’ve told us a million times that you would never forgive yourself if you ever forgot about him. C’mon, Legend, you have to have some kind of memory of him.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t -.”

“ _ Zelda _ , then -” Warriors cut him off. “ Or Fable - whatever the naming convention in this world is: the two of you are fraternal twins, and she’s your only living relative left, and despite her being the ruling princess of your Hyrule - the supposed epitome of royalty and wisdom in your era - she can be just as mischievous and vulgar as you are. I’ve seen the both of you play pranks on the royal castle guards when you’re able to sneak her away from the throne, and I’ve seen the two of you get into petty arguments over the stupidest of things; yet despite all this, you’re deeply fond of her, and you would instill the fear of the goddesses into anyone that dared to lay a finger on her.”

“I can’t -.”

“And the stories you’ve told us! The ones of you going against a powerful wizard named Agahnim despite him being able to easily dispatch guards to incapacitate you, and the ones where you changed the seasons with just a simple swing of a magical rod, or moved through the flow of time by plucking a harp that had belonged to an oracle: those were all stories that had left us in awe, and you were practically glowing with egotistical pride when one half of us was showering you in compliments while the other half was fuming with jealousy; but now, no one but me seems to remember any of that.”

“I -.”

“In fact, no one else remembers anything about travelling together or adventuring or fighting off black - blooded monsters; it’s just all about taking care of a farm in the countryside now, or running a food stall in Castle Town, or being a travelling salesman, or whatever!” He threw his hands up in a fit of exasperation, all the anger and stress of the past two days’ events finally getting the better of him. “ The nine of us used to be fearsome warriors all united under the Triforce of Courage, bringing light and hope to lands that had been plagued with despair from Ganon’s reigns, but now nearly all of us believe that we’re just simple people living simple lives in one simple version of Hyrule and it’s just - how can so many of us believe in such a blatant lie after all we’ve been through?!” 

“Well maybe because it wasn’t real.”

Warriors paused at that before fixing Legend with an amused smirk. 

“What? Of course it was real!” He scoffed, and he nearly barked out a laugh at how stupid the notion was. Seriously, what kind of half - assed joke was that? Didn’t Legend see that he was trying to figure out why everyone else’s memories were missing?

But the sincere look on the other’s face told him otherwise.

“I mean, if you think about it,” Legend started with a small shrug. “ You could’ve just made up the whole thing in like a dream or something; I know that stuff happens to me sometimes, so maybe the same thing happened to you.”

“ _ The same thing didn’t happen to me _ !” Warriors snapped back, and the bite of his tone was enough to make Legend flinch. “ This was real -  _ all of this was real _ . Shifting between worlds, facing off against black - blooded monsters, going on our own individual adventures before any of us even met: you really think I made all of that up in a fucking  _ dream _ ?”

“Warriors, it happens sometimes. People are weird: they can make up really crazy stuff without ever meaning to, but it’s okay, though; it’s nothing to be ashamed about.” The other tried to placate, and something about the soothing tone Legend was using with him made his blood boil: he was treating him like an angry, irrational child instead of taking his word and working to figure this mess out like he should be.

“I’m  _ not  _ ashamed because this  _ wasn’t  _ a goddess - damned dream! I lived through it - we  _ all  _ lived through it: we all came to the same era through the same corrupted magic portal, we all freaked out when we saw nine faces that looked nearly identical to each other, we all found out about black - blooded monsters that deviated from their usual patterns, and we all decided to fight alongside each other in order to work towards protecting Hyrule and defeating whatever source is behind this mess, so why in Hylia’s name am I the only one that remembers any of this?!”

“Because it really was just a vivid dream, Wars; I don’t know what else to tell you.”

Warriors pressed his face into his hands as he let out a frustrated growl. This whole conversation was so pathetically pointless: the two of them were just going in circles about whether their adventures were a dream or not, and despite how ludicrous Legend’s suggestion was, Warriors couldn’t convince him otherwise. He just needed something to prove to him that this was all real - he needed something like a remnant of their adventures together, or some carcass of black - blooded monster that hadn’t turned to ashes yet, or something that indicated that they were all heroes -.

He froze.

Wait. Heroes. Chosen Heroes. Hylia. The Triforce -.

“Give me your left hand.” 

Legend gave him an incredulous look at that order and started to protectively curl his arm towards his body. “ Huh? Why do you want me to -.”

“Just give it to me!” Warriors cut in, already reaching towards the other’s arm. Once he had the other’s hand in the two of his, he turned the palm face - down in order to get a better look at the back of Legend’s hand. His eyes scanned dutifully over the appendage with renewed vigor, desperate to find that telltale sign that united the nine of them as Chosen Heroes, but he felt his stomach sink when all he saw was soft, untouched skin.

“You don’t have it.” His voice sounded so soft to his own ears, and he couldn’t tell if it was because he had actually whispered it or if his pounding heartbeat had suddenly gotten louder. 

He ignored whatever Legend was saying to him and took his right hand instead, doing the same as he had done to the left and again, he was met with untouched skin.

Untouched skin that lacked the Triforce of Courage etched into it.

In a sudden fit of panic, Warriors reached for his own left hand instead and hastily pulled off his glove, and his eyes grew wide at the sight.

Yet again, clean, untouched skin. No Triforce to be found.

His movements only became more frantic from there. His right hand lacked the symbol as well, and pulling up both sleeves of his undershirt and both pant legs revealed nothing but faded burns and scars, and when he got to unwrapping his scarf and undoing the laces of his shirt, and he felt his throat tighten when all he found were the numerous injuries he had sustained across his chest and abdomen during his time in the War Across the Ages. He couldn’t find the Triforce anywhere on his body, and that startling knowledge was enough to make his hands tremble fiercely in midair as his mind raced with thoughts of  _ where could the Triforce be _ and  _ why wasn’t it on my left hand like it usually was _ and  _ how could it disappear _ \-  _ things like that just don’t disappear _ -. 

His head jerked up when he heard the door open to reveal a redhead carrying a large amount of grocery bags in her arms, to which Legend immediately perked up and went to help. He probably should’ve gone to help, too - just to be polite and to serve as an act of gratitude for their hospitality - but he couldn’t get himself away from his spiraling thoughts, nevermind find the will to do so.

“Oh, Warriors!” He jumped at the call of his name and looked to see Marin greeting him with an enthusiastic smile. “ I didn’t know you were coming over today! I would’ve gone shopping a lot sooner if I knew.” 

“I’m leaving,” He answered back as soon as the last syllable had left Marin’s lips, and he was hoping that his wavering voice didn’t give away his current emotional state.

She gave a sad pout and said, “ Awwww, so soon? Are you sure you don’t wanna stay over for coffee?”

“No, I can’t.” He responded just as quickly, and he ignored the worried look Legend was giving him as he brushed past him. No Triforce, no Hylia, no one having the right memories, Legend not acting like himself, no magic, family relations that shouldn’t exist, people knowing things they shouldn’t know - the last thing he needed right now was to have a chat with a stranger when there were already too many things overwhelming him.

He could tell she wanted to say something back - probably something about why he looked so disheveled and shaken as opposed to his usual clean and polished self - but Warriors didn’t give her the chance to as he hastily bidded her a goodnight before slamming the door shut, leaving him to the mercy of the warm island breeze and the twinkle of hundreds of stars.

▲

\---▲ ▲---

“Hey, there you are!” Sky beamed as soon as Warriors had entered the room, but his bright expression quickly dropped into one of concern. “ Wars, what’s wrong?”

“Ah, it’s nothing; just had a busy day, that’s all.” He answered back with a reassuring grin, but Sky’s furrowed brows told him that he really didn’t come off as reassuring at all. 

He shuffled his way to the bathroom and let out a hollow sigh when he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. 

Well, no wonder Sky didn’t believe him: he looked like absolute shit. His hair was a complete mess, his clothes were rumpled, the bags underneath his eyes seemed to have darkened by a considerable amount, and his pale complexity rivaled that of a ghost’s. He looked nothing like his usual self, and he didn’t feel like his usual self either: his whole cool and confident persona seemed to have been shattered over the course of just a single day, with the final nail in the coffin echoing insistently in the back of his head:

“ _ Well maybe because it wasn’t real _ .”

He was starting to believe that, too.

“Wars, there’s something bothering you.” Sky had sounded as he peered from around the doorframe, and Warriors had let out a little smile at that. Sky still seemed to be his empathic self, a trait that had greatly helped the eight of them to become more open and willing to share whatever was troubling them, which was a big leap for those who had suffered through much more grueling adventures.

Adventures that Warriors had made up.

“It’s nothing, Sky, really.” He shrugged off as he went to take off his things, and although Sky turned back around the corner to allow him some privacy, he could still feel the waves of deep worry radiating off his friend.

He could still feel Sky’s concern even as he left the bathroom and curled himself into bed with his scarf wrapped tightly in his arms, too, and he could still feel it even when he laid facing against the wall, eyes staring into nothing. 

Sky was worried about him, and although he was grateful to know that even though their circumstances have changed so quickly and so drastically, the Skylofitian was still there to comfort him and hear him out, Warriors just couldn’t find the heart to tell him what was really going on.

He really didn’t think he had the will to reiterate a dream to an eighth person today.

After what must have been twenty minutes, he heard the other wish him a tentative goodnight before turning off the lantern that illuminated their room, plunging them both into a moonlit darkness and leaving Warriors to his own reeling thoughts.

Mind - numbing exhaustion had finally set in after the two hours he spent staring into the wall, and that night he dreamt of the nine of them sitting around a makeshift campfire, smiling and laughing as they shared stories about adventures that had never happened. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three headcanons I firmly believe in: Warriors has nine sisters, Legend and Fable (his Zelda) are fraternal twins, and Twilight has a southern accent. Thank you to the fandom for coming up with the most random of headcanons and may you continue to make more.


End file.
